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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29377368">Heroes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicalIdiot/pseuds/magicalIdiot'>magicalIdiot</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>If Aoi was left behind [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Zero Escape (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>And by god I'm going to give it to him, Family Fluff, Gen, Pre-VLR, Quark deserves the world, Quark gets three grandpas because I said so, maybe a little angst too but not much</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:29:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,928</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29377368</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicalIdiot/pseuds/magicalIdiot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Quark starts to notice that his Grandpas aren't just normal people.</p><p>Or, Quark's perception of Junpei, Aoi, and Light over the years as he learns more and more about them. Stand-alone fic in a series, set in the VLR timeline before the events of VLR take place.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Quark &amp; Aoi Kurashiki, Quark &amp; Light Field, Quark &amp; Tenmyouji Junpei</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>If Aoi was left behind [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2110935</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Heroes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>QUARK RIGHTS</p><p>This is technically part of a series, but it stands alone just fine. All you need to know is that Junpei, Aoi, and Light lived together in the year before Radical-6 happened, and Junpei remembers how to SHIFT.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Quark is four years old when he first notices the whispers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anyone four years old or older is required to work on the farm unless they’re so old that farm labor is too strenuous for them. If they can’t work on the farm, they have to teach a certain number of classes in school. Grandpa Light and Grandpa Aoi are both exempt from those rules for some reason, but Quark doesn’t really know why. Quark just has to work extra hard for both of them, and he really enjoys working on the farm. He gets to feed the chickens, and plant some seeds, and sometimes, if he’s really good, he can water the plants.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Today, he’s planting potatoes with the other kids. There’s a few kids his age, but a lot of them are older than Quark by two or three years. Quark isn’t good friends with them or anything, but pretty much everyone knows each other in Newer York since there’s so few people. As Quark is planting, he overhears Camie and Pratyusha whispering very loudly, like they have no idea how to keep a secret.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My mom told me that Quark’s grandpa is super special. Apparently, he can see the </span>
  <em>
    <span>future</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Camie says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pratyusha gasps. “Do you think </span>
  <em>
    <span>Quark</span>
  </em>
  <span> can see the future, too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t see the future,” Quark says, surprising both children. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to listen in. I just thought you would want to know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“U-um, thanks,” Pratyusha stutters, face flushing red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Camie, however, knows no shame. “Quark, is it true that your grandpa is a superhero?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What makes someone a superhero? “I don’t know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I learned in school that Mr. Tenmyouji saved everyone a really long time ago with his powers,” another kid, Yiwei, jumps in. “So I think he’s a superhero.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa is definitely a hero to Quark, but is Grandpa really that important to everyone else, too? Quark needs more information.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Quark gets home, Grandpa is asleep and Grandpa Aoi is busy talking to some visitors, so he checks the bedroom. Grandpa Light is awake, but Quark doesn’t know if today’s a good day or a bad day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quark walks over to Grandpa Light’s bed. Granda Light is awake, and he has headphones on. When he hears Quark, he takes his headphones off. “Quark? Is that you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh-huh.” Quark climbs onto the bed and scoots over so he’s sitting right next to Grandpa Light. “What are you listening to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a… recording. It helps me remember important things,” Grandpa Light says slowly. He sounds a little sad, so Quark gives him a hug. “Thank you, Quark. How was your day at the farm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was fun! I got to plant potatoes today,” Quark says excitedly. “Oh, that reminds me. Is Grandpa a superhero?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa Light laughs, and the wrinkles around his eyes do the thing that makes it look like his eyes are smiling, too, even though they’re closed. “I suppose that is one way to put it, yes. Why do you ask?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“People at the farm were talking about it. They said Grandpa can see the future, and he saved everyone with his powers,” Quark said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see. Well, it’s more complicated than that, but yes, Grandpa is one of the main reasons that Newer York even exists at all,” Grandpa Light says, still smiling. Quark likes it when Grandpa Light is happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can Grandpa really see the future?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa Light nods. “You know how Grandpa sometimes sits in one place for a really long time in the evenings? That’s him looking into the future.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quark’s grin widens. “Whoa. That’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> cool! Why didn’t Grandpa tell me he was a superhero?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“People rarely look at themselves as heroes, Quark. Grandpa doesn’t think he’s a hero, but other people do. That’s what makes someone a true hero.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A hero is someone who doesn’t think they’re a hero? “That’s confusing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa Light reaches over and ruffles Quark’s hair affectionately. “Yes, it’s a bit much for someone your age to handle. But you’re smart, I’m sure you’ll understand eventually.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s exactly like Grandpa Light said. Quark hadn’t noticed it before, but now, every time he walks around with Grandpa, he sees everyone else staring at Grandpa in awe and whispering. Grandpa doesn’t notice, or maybe he’s just pretending not to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s exactly like the heroes in the stories that Grams tells him. When Grams visits, she tells Quark stories about people who can fly, and people who can shoot lasers out of their eyes, and people who can run faster than light. She says that there’s something called comic books out there with these stories, but they’re hard to find. Sometimes, she tells him stories about Grandpa Seven, and how he was a hero when he was alive, and then she gets a little bit sad, but a little bit happy, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The heroes in Grams’ stories always save people. They don’t ask for anything in return, either. They just help people for free, and everyone looks up to them and thinks they’re super cool. As Quark watches people look at Grandpa at the farm, or while he’s running the store, or when he’s taking Quark to the playground, he sees that same awe in their eyes. They think Grandpa’s a hero, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Quark is five years old, he starts making friends with kids who don’t live in the same building as he does, like Alli and Paz. Grandpa Aoi says that he can hang out at their apartment if he’s back before the sun goes down. Quark is </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> excited. He’s been to other apartments in his building, but they all look the same, and pretty much everyone in his building comes to say hi to Grandpa Aoi and Grandpa Light every week. Quark is eager to see what other buildings look like.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After farm work, he goes home with Alli and Paz. Quark notices instantly that their apartment building is smaller and it looks cleaner on the outside. There’s not as many people in the halls, and there’s no constant smell of someone cooking something down the hall. The few people they do pass by are still friendly in the same way that everyone is in Newer York, of course. It’s still very different, though, and Quark feels like he’s in a whole new world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alli’s mom greets them as they walk into the apartment. “Hello, hello. Thank you for coming over. Alli has been excited all week,” she says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mo-om,” Alli whines.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, sweetie. I’ll stop embarrassing you. We just get visitors so rarely, you know,” Alli’s mom says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quark thinks about how his apartment is always full of people visiting to talk to Grandpa Aoi, or to keep Grandpa Light company, or to play with him. Do other people not normally have so many visitors? Quark tucks that thought at the back of his mind for later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quark and Paz introduce themselves, and then Alli’s mom sits them all down and gives them some grapes to eat. Quark is pretty sure she’s staring at him, though. Is he being weird? Maybe he should eat fewer grapes. Or more grapes. He’s not sure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, she says, “Quark, do you live with Mayor Aoi?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s a mayor?” Quark asks, unable to stop the question from tumbling right out of his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alli’s mom laughs. “A mayor is someone who’s in charge of the city. They listen to what everyone wants for the city, and then they do their best to make sure it happens. Everyone chooses who the mayor is together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Grandpa Aoi does talk to a lot of people. We get lots of visitors,” Quark says, hurriedly thinking through every conversation he’s ever had with his grandpas. None of them had ever mentioned mayors before, or at least not to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure you do. Mayor Aoi is quite popular. Or, well, he isn’t the mayor anymore. Everyone wanted him to keep being the mayor, but he insisted on stepping down last term,” Alli’s mom explains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quark is starting to get the feeling that there are a lot of things he doesn’t know about his grandpas. “Wow. He never talks about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s just like him. He’s far too modest. Without him, Newer York wouldn’t be what it is today,” Alli’s mom says, and that’s when Quark sees it. Her eyes have the same look that people get when they look at Grandpa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quark wants to ask Grandpa Aoi about it, but there’s never a good time. After a while, he doesn’t need to ask, anyway. All he has to do is listen to the way that all those visitors talk to Grandpa Aoi. They sound like they’re talking to someone really important and really special. And Grandpa Aoi doesn’t leave the apartment much, but when he does, Quark feels the stares on both of them. People look up to Grandpa Aoi. He’s a hero, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At age seven, Quark starts taking history classes at school. He learns about the history of Earth from a long time ago, when there were lots of people and there wasn’t any dust in the air. He learns about kingdoms and empires and countries. There aren’t a lot of books left that talk about this history that Ms. Ennea is teaching them, so Ms. Ennea teaches them from memory. It all sounds so unreal to Quark, but Ms. Ennea talks about it like she was there herself. She’s so good at telling stories, just like Grams was. And sometimes, she has the same mournful look in her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eyes, Quark has learned, are very good at telling him what people are feeling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Quark notices when people are looking at him as he works on the farm, or as he carries his day’s haul of junk back home so Grandpa can sort through it. He hears the way people whisper about his grandpas. Now that he’s older, he can understand more of what people are saying. It’s never bad stuff. People just whisper and stare because they’re too kind. They don’t want to make Quark uncomfortable by talking to him directly about his grandpas. Quark doesn’t mind it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Besides, he learns things that his grandpas haven’t told him. No, that they </span>
  <em>
    <span>won’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> tell him. Quark isn’t mad at them for it or anything. Their eyes tell him everything. Grandpa Aoi doesn’t talk about being mayor because he doesn’t think that it makes him a hero. Grandpa doesn’t talk about seeing the future because it hurts too much. Quark doesn’t understand it completely, but for some reason, when he’s with Grandpa, Grandpa’s eyes get happier, and he’s able to sleep better at night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa Light is harder to read. He doesn’t open his eyes very much because he can’t see, so keeping his eyes open just dries them out. The only thing Quark is able to tell from Grandpa Light’s voice is when he’s having a good day or a bad day. On bad days, Grandpa Light’s voice is either really quiet or really loud, and Quark doesn’t have to look very hard to see how much pain he’s in. It makes Quark’s heart hurt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s such a shame what happened to Light,” he hears someone say one day as he’s walking through the park.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, after he gave so much for us. I wish we could do more for him,” another person responds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They aren’t whispering, maybe because they don’t think Quark is listening. Quark kind of wishes that they were, because now he’s even more curious. The one time he tries to ask Grandpa about it, he sees something in Grandpa’s eyes that he can’t even describe. It’s like sadness, but it’s so much deeper. Quark immediately drops the subject.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quark is nine years old when he finally gets the answers he’s been looking for. Ms. Ennea starts teaching his class about the history of Newer York, and how it was founded after a lot of really horrible things happened. For once, they learn from a book that Ms. Ennea says was written only a few years ago. The book is younger than Quark, but it knows a lot more than he does.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For example, it knows about his grandpas.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junpei Tenmyouji, it says, could see the future. He was able to predict that bad things were about to happen, and because of that, he worked to save as many people as possible. He didn’t work alone, though. Aoi Kurashiki had a lot of money, so he used it to prepare for the worst. Together, the two of them were able to save two thousand people even when there was no way to grow food. For seven years, they lived underground under Aoi’s and Junpei’s guidance, until they could finally return to the surface. Then, they founded Newer York, with Aoi as the first mayor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quark doesn’t know his grandpas’ full names, but he knows Grandpa Aoi was a mayor, and he doesn’t think that there’s anyone else who can see the future. He keeps reading.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He learns that there was a really deadly disease that killed a lot of people, which is why Grandpa and Grandpa Aoi had to go underground with two thousand other people. Because of the disease, there was a huge explosion that threw a bunch of dust in the air. The disease didn’t have any cure, but scientists were able to make one because of the sacrifice of Light Field, the only person with the disease who was able to withstand it for more than a few days. He fought the disease for nine </span>
  <em>
    <span>years</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and he barely came out of it alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That’s why he has bad days. He’s lucky to even have good ones at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quark closes the book before his tears can fall on the pages. When he gets home, he climbs into Grandpa Light’s bed and gives him the biggest hug he can.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my. What is this for?” Grandpa Light asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quark thinks back to the book, and how it described the disease as really hard to live with. He looks at Grandpa Light’s frail body and soft smile, and he feels not for the first time that the world is unfair. Before he knows it, he’s crying in Grandpa Light’s lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quark,” Grandpa Light says gently, “what’s bothering you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quark swallows hard. He doesn’t want to force Grandpa Light to remember things that are hard to think about. Not when Grandpa Light is being so nice to him. “I-it’s okay. I’m okay now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa Light doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t have to. Quark can tell from the way his raised eyebrow that he can see right through Quark’s lie. He always can. Even on the bad days.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“U-um… we learned about… Radical-6 today. In class,” Quark says quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Grandpa Light </span>
  <em>
    <span>smiles</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “Ah. Then I suppose my name was mentioned?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y-you don’t have to talk about it. Or think about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quark, my experience with Radical-6 is an unavoidable part of my reality. Whether or not I talk to you about it won’t change that,” Grandpa Light says. He still sounds so calm. Quark doesn’t understand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t it hurt to remember?” Quark asks anxiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa Light shakes his head. “It’s true that there are days when it feels like I still have Radical-6, and there are days when I am in a lot of pain, but holding all of those feelings in won’t do me any good. I did not enjoy those years of my life, or even the years directly after, but I would go through it again if that was what was required to be here right now with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s something a superhero would say,” Quark says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa Light chuckles. “A superhero? I am no such thing. I am just a person who did their best to survive and happened to help others in the process. Your other grandpas are much more like superheroes than I am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly</span>
  </em>
  <span> what a hero would say,” Quark says stubbornly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You might be right about that,” Grandpa Light admits. “Why don’t you see if Grandpa Aoi and Grandpa say the same thing as I did? Then you’ll know for sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quark, you better not listen to whatever the fuck Grandpa Light is telling you,” Grandpa Aoi yells from the other room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just admit you’re jealous that he’s talking to me and not to you,” Grandpa Light says in return, prompting Grandpa Aoi to wheel himself into the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First of all, fuck you. Second of all, I can tell that you’re trying to use Quark to annoy me, and it’s not going to work. Third of all, </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa Light raises an eyebrow. “My, my. So many terrible words you’re teaching Quark. What an irresponsible guardian you are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what? Next time you ask me to do something for you, I’m just going to ignore you. Let’s see how happy you are </span>
  <em>
    <span>then</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Grandpa Aoi grumbles, but Quark can see in his eyes that he isn’t actually mad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Grandpa Aoi, would you say that you’re a hero?” Quark cuts in, deciding to take advantage of the situation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. Who the hell told you I was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>hero</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everybody thinks you’re a hero,” Quark answers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa Aoi sighs and lifts himself up onto the bed, sandwiching Quark between his two grandpas. “I’m not going to pretend that people don’t look up to me, but I didn’t do any of that shit by myself. Every step of the way, I had an army of people behind me, helping me make things happen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would it kill you to admit that you might actually deserve some of the praise and hero worship that you receive?” Grandpa Light says, amusement written all over his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hypocrite</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Grandpa Aoi says harshly, and Grandpa Light laughs. “Can I tell you a little secret, Quark?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm. I won’t tell anyone,” Quark promises.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just because of the things I’ve done to help, everyone thinks that I’m perfect or that I have all the answers, but that’s not true. I make mistakes just like everyone else, and there’s a lot of things I don’t know. Heroes are just normal people who try to do the right thing,” Grandpa Aoi says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So anybody could be a hero?” Quark asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa Light nods. “Anyone can be a hero. All it takes is the will to save people, and the conviction to follow through on what you believe in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then I want to be like you guys when I grow up,” Quark declares. He’s unprepared for the way both of his grandpas fall silent. Did he say something wrong? Or maybe they just didn’t understand. “I want to be smart like you, Grandpa Light, and nice like Grandpa, and strong like you, Grandpa Aoi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa Aoi turns away. His voice is oddly stilted and quiet. “Thank you, Quark. It… means a lot to hear that from you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Is he crying? It sounds like he’s crying. Quark gives him a hug, then gives Grandpa Light another hug for good measure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should go tell Grandpa that, too,” Grandpa Light says, nudging Quark with his arm. Quark nods and slips out from between his grandpas so he can climb down from the bed. He briefly catches a glimpse of Grandpa Aoi’s watery eyes, and he doesn’t know how to describe the emotion in them. It’s something he sees a lot in Grandpa’s eyes, too— it’s like happiness, but a lot stronger and somehow softer, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Quark scampers back into the main room. Grandpa is sitting on the floor, back against the wall, and he looks like he’s in pain. This is that SHIFTing thing that Grandpa does, where he looks into the future, and it always makes him really tired and really sad. Quark sits down next to him and waits until Grandpa finally opens his eyes with a deep sigh and looks over at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Quark. Did you need something?” Grandpa asks. His eyes tell Quark that he is tired, and he saw something that was really hard to watch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, I wanted to tell you something,” Quark says, and he gives Grandpa a hug in hopes that it will make him feel a little better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa smiles and pulls Quark closer with one arm. “Sure, kiddo. What do you need?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to be like you when I grow up. Like you, and Grandpa Aoi, and Grandpa Light, because you’re all heroes who help people,” Quark says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa doesn’t say anything for a while, but Quark doesn’t break the silence. Grandpa’s eyes look distant, like he’s reliving something from the past.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally Grandpa turns back to Quark, a bitter look in his eyes. “Grandpa Aoi and Grandpa Light are heroes. I’ve made more mistakes than both of them combined. I still don’t know if I saved as many people as I could have, or if… I’m going to be able to save the people who matter to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You saved me, Grandpa. And you help lots of people,” Quark says stubbornly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe.” Grandpa’s eyes still hold sadness and regret and all sorts of complicated things. Quark doesn’t know how to make them go away. He thinks for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Grandpa Aoi said that heroes can make mistakes, too. And Grandpa Light said that heroes are people who try to do the right thing, even if they aren’t able to. I think you’re always trying to do the right thing, Grandpa.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa snorts. “Did the two of them put you up to this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quark shrugs. “Sort of. I told them the same thing, and they said you should hear it, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmph. Traitors,” Grandpa mutters. “Well, thank you, Quark. But I don’t think you should try to be like us. I think you should try to be even better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Better…?” Quark doesn’t know if there </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> a way to be better. All of his Grandpas have done such amazing things. They’re in </span>
  <em>
    <span>history books</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That makes them really special. Can Quark be better than </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa nods. “Yes. Don’t just pay attention to what we’ve done right. Pay attention to what we’ve done wrong, so you can learn from it. And then you’ll be better than we could have been.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quark furrows his eyebrows, deep in thought. What mistakes do his grandpas make? Maybe… “Then I should probably get more sleep than you do, huh, Grandpa?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grandpa laughs. “Yeah, kiddo, probably. And stay away from alcohol.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quark has never seen Grandpa do something wrong when he drinks scotch, but the way Grandpa says it convinces him that something must have happened a long time ago. “Okay. Oh, and I should take my medicine, right? And eat lots of vegetables.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do all that, and you’ll be miles ahead of the three of us,” Grandpa says, and his eyes finally have some happiness in them, too. No, it’s not happiness. It’s the same look that Grandpa Aoi had, a mix of happiness, and fondness, and… something else. Something soft. Kind. Warm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quark closes his eyes and nestles himself against Grandpa more closely, leaning his head against Grandpa’s chest. He thinks maybe he finally knows what it is that he always sees in his grandpas’ eyes when they look at him. “Grandpa, I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you too, Quark,” Grandpa says quietly, and he plants a gentle kiss on Quark’s forehead. “I love you more than you’ll ever know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Quark drifts off to sleep, he thinks that he’s probably the luckiest kid in the whole wide world.</span>
</p>
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